One of the big knocks on Justin Fields over the first three seasons of his NFL career was the fact that he won just 10 games in 38 starts as the QB1 of the Chicago Bears. Trading him and moving forward with Caleb Williams made too much sense when it became clear the Bears had an opportunity to draft one of the most highly regarded quarterback prospects in years, but the decision was perhaps made more difficult by the fact that Fields finished the 2023 season strong.
After starting out 1-5 in the 2023 season, Fields missed four games with a thumb injury. Over the final six games, he led the Bears to a 4-3 record, with wins over the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals, and Atlanta Falcons. He has continued that positive trend over the first two weeks of his tenure with the Pittsburgh Steelers, helping the team to a 2-0 start.
He has now matched his career win total over his last eight starts. With six wins dating back to Week 12 last season, Fields’ six wins match what he was able to do over the 32 games prior. His career win percentage is still just 30 percent, but in the NFL it is about what you have done lately, and lately Fields has been winning games.
Over those eight starts, Fields has completed 141 of his 228 pass attempts (61 completion percentage), for 1,465 passing yards, five passing touchdowns, and three interceptions. He has also chipped in 81 rushing attempts for 400 yards and three touchdowns. Those aren’t gaudy stats, but he has been getting the job done.
For the Steelers, that type of career trajectory is exactly what they are looking for. They traded just a conditional sixth-round pick in next year’s draft for Fields, but he clearly offers more long-term upside than Russell Wilson, who is a decade older.
Does that mean I think Fields keeps Wilson on the bench once he is healthy enough to return? I don’t think that will be the case, but Fields has given the Steelers a lot of data that they can use to make decisions about the future of the position.
Reports indicate that Fields will get one more start while Wilson gets fully healthy. If he leads the Steelers to a very rare 3-0 start, that will make the decision a lot more difficult once Wilson returns. Even if the team goes back to Wilson, Fields has done a lot for himself to start to reverse the trend and the negative narratives that surround him as a starting quarterback. If you are the Steelers’ decision makers, you have to be thrilled.
